How to Grow Black Elderberry by Seed Indoors

Elderberry fruit is used to make jams, syrups and pies and juice.

Belonging to the honeysuckle family, the black elderberry (Sambucus nigra) produces lacy clusters of white flowers in the early summer. Flowers produce a lemony fragrance, adding additional value to this deciduous shrub. Black berries appear after the blooms fade and attract birds and other wildlife to the landscape. Hardy in U.S. Department of Agriculture Plant Hardiness Zones 5 through 8, black elderberries require full sunlight and moist, fast-draining soil. Elderberry seeds require both scarification and stratification treatments in order to germinate successfully.

1

Collect elderberry seeds in the late summer or early fall. Wait until the berries are deep purple to black in color, plump and soft. Pick the berries and place them in a brown paper bag.

2

Fill a bowl one-half full of water. Pour the berries into the water. Put your hands into the water and squish the berries between your fingers. Rub the pulp between your fingers to dislodge the seeds. Allow the seeds to float to the top of the water. Scoop up the floating seeds with a strainer.

3

Put on eye protection and a pair of rubber gloves. Pour sulfuric acid slowly into the bottom of a small bucket, stopping when the acid level is 3 inches deep. Dump the seeds out of the strainer into the bucket. Move the bucket back and forth very slowly to swirl the acid over top of the seeds. Leave the seeds to soak for 15 to 30 minutes so that the acid will scarify, or soften, their outer coating.

4

Mix 1 cup coarse sand, 1 cup vermiculite and 1 cup peat moss together in a second small bucket. Add water from a watering can slowly while agitating the media to make it evenly moist. Do not allow the mixture to become soggy.

5

Pour 1 1/2 cups of the media mixture into a plastic zipper bag. Scoop the seeds from the acid with a long-handled slotted spoon. Hold the seeds over top the bucket to allow excess acid to drain from the spoon. Sprinkle the elderberry seeds onto the surface of the media inside the bag. Add the remaining 1 1/2 cups of media to the bag, pouring it on top of the seeds to cover them completely. Seal the bag closed. Place the bag in a refrigerator with a constant temperature of 40 degrees Fahrenheit, leaving it to sit for 90 days.

6

Fill a seedling tray with potting soil, leaving the top 1 inch of space free of soil. Tamp the soil down slightly and add more if needed to maintain the correct level. Fill the tray slowly with water from a watering can. Allow the excess water to drain through the tray's bottom drainage holes. Add water a second time to ensure that the soil is evenly moist.

7

Remove the bag containing the seeds from the refrigerator. Pour the contents out into a bowl. Sift through the media, pulling out the seeds as you find them.

8

Sow the seeds in the tray, spacing them 2 inches apart from each other. Sprinkle a 1/4-inch layer of potting soil over the top of the seeds. Mist over the top layer of soil with water from a spray bottle to moisten the additional soil. Place a clear plastic cover over the top of the tray.

9

Choose a room with a constant temperature between 72 to 80 degrees Fahrenheit. Set a heating mat on a flat surface that receives bright, indirect sunlight and is located away from heating or cooling vents. Set the mat's temperature settings to 75 degrees Fahrenheit. Place the seedling tray on top of the mat.

10

Check the tray every three to four days for signs of moisture loss. Remove the cover, and mist the soil's surface when the top 1/4 inch begins to dry. Water the soil to keep it moist. Do not allow the soil to become soggy.

11

Watch for signs of germination four to six months from the planting date. Remove the cover once the majority of seeds germinate. Take the tray off the heating mat and place it in direct sunlight. Water the seedlings when the top 1 inch of soil becomes dry.

12

Apply a 10-10-10 nitrogen, phosphorous, potassium water-soluble fertilizer every 10 to 14 days. Mix 1/2 teaspoon fertilizer with 1 gallon water. Administer the fertilizer in place of a watering.

13

Transplant the seedlings into individual 6-inch pots when they reach 3 to 5 inches in height. Fill the pots three-quarters full of potting soil. Dig a seedling out of the tray carefully with a trowel. Place the seedling in the center of a pot, spreading its roots outward. Add soil to the pot, tamping it down slightly around the roots. Do not overfill the pot or plant the seedling deeper than it was previously growing. Fill the pot one to two times with water to moisten the soil completely. Place the pot in a 70 to 75 degree Fahrenheit room in direct sunlight.